Lisbon vs Porto
Porto leads Lisbon by 7 points on the CIRA Index, 68 to 61. Lisbon grades better on 5 measures, Porto on 8; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Lisbon 61, Porto 68
- OECD: Lisbon 62, Porto 69
- UN Tourism: Lisbon 56, Porto 71
- UNDRR: Lisbon 72, Porto 77
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Lisbon 71, Porto 54
- Economy and jobs: Lisbon 69, Porto 83
- Climate and hazards: Lisbon 75, Porto 85
- Water and environment: Lisbon 38, Porto 75
- Community and housing: Lisbon 25, Porto 38
- Access and continuity: Lisbon 83, Porto 79
Where Lisbon is stronger
- Nights in the three busiest months: 30 % of annual nights (region figure) (INE (Statistics Portugal), Estatísticas do Turismo - 2024, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
- Average length of stay: 2.3 nights per visitor (region figure) (INE (Statistics Portugal), Estatísticas do Turismo - 2024, 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 75.1 % average annual occupancy (Turismo de Portugal, TravelBI (Taxas de Ocupação Quarto/Cama), 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 489 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Statistics Portugal (INE) - Urban Waste Statistics, Indicator 0012765, 2024). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Turismo de Portugal, 2021–2026). Grade 3/4.
Where Porto is stronger
- Recovery against 2019: 136.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Pordata / Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Jobs in tourism industries: 6.5 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (Turismo de Portugal / INE - População Empregada, 2025). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
- Extreme heat days: 0.4 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
- Tropical nights: 5 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
- Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
- Wastewater safely treated: 99.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Águas e Energia do Porto, EM / ERSAR - Relatório e Contas, 2023). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
- Green space: 40 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Municipality of Porto / ResearchGate, Green Structure of Porto study, 2022). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
- Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Câmara Municipal do Porto, Diário da República, Aviso n.º 835/2025/2, 2024-2025). Grade 3/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Portugal: #11 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Portugal: #11 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Lisbon in full · Porto in full
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